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\November 15, 2018 (Fulton, MD) - The Maryland Building Industry Association awarded and recognized individual leaders in the home building industry at the Maryland Building Industry Award of Excellence Awards at The Hotel at Arundel Preserve on November 15th. Lori Graf, MBIA CEO said, "We are thrilled to recognize the leaders in our industry who are impacting our communities in a posivite way." Awards presented were the Joseph C. Rodgers Sr. Award - presented annually in recognition of extraordinary and outstanding contributions to the Association by a non-builder member; the Stewart J. Greenebaum Award- presented annually in recognition of extraordinary and outstanding contributions to the Association by a builder member and the the Milton E. Kettler Award - presented in recognition of a lifetime for unselfish participation, contributions and services that include but is not limited to: business, trade or professional organizations; the building and housing industry and the community. 2018 Maryland Award of Excellence Winners Ken Dunn Honored with Rodgers Award Ken Dunn, Managing Member, Soltesz LLC, was selected as the 2018 recipient of the Maryland Building Industry Association's Joseph C. Rodgers Sr. "Associate of the Year" Award. The award is presented annually in recognition of extraordinary and outstanding service by an associate member to the Association throughout the current year of the award. Ken has his finger on the pulse of the growth of Suburban Maryland and Washington, DC, and has advocated the industry's position on stormwater regulations and revisions to the local permitting process throughout his career. He has been at the forefront of other regulatory changes and his expertise has brought about many positive results for the industry on important issues. MBIA is grateful to have him as the Chair of the Prince George's County Chapter, a role he has held since 2013 that continues into 2019. One of Ken's biggest challenges has taken place over the past two years, when he worked tirelessly on the rewrite of the Prince George's County Zoning Ordinance. Throughout the arduous process, Ken held multiple stakeholder meetings in his office, worked closely with government officials and compiled pages upon pages of written comments to ensure the building industry's interests were protected. Ken is a dedicated member of MBIA whose extensive experience and guidance has been invaluable throughout the past year and beyond. His efforts on behalf of MBIA and his genuine concern for all those in our industry make him a true example of what the Rodgers Award was created to represent. Marty Mitchell Honored with Greenebaum Award Marty Mitchell, CEO of Mitchell & Best Homes, was selected as the 2018 recipient of the Maryland Building Industry Association's Stewart J. Greenebaum "Builder of the Year" Award. The award was created in 2015 to recognize extraordinary and outstanding contributions by a builder member throughout the current year of the award. Marty has been involved with the MBIA and the MNCBIA for decades, from participating on and chairing committees to serving on the Board of Directors to the Executive Committee and then as MNCBIA President in 2011and then finally onto Life Director. He has also served on the NAHB Board since 2005 and has been active on many of their committees. Marty's service to the Association over the past year includes his work on MBIA's State Legislative Committee and his diligent participation on the Proactive Policy Task Force. This Task Force is made up of industry leaders who were charged with formulating ways for the industry to be more proactive. In the past year, they have looked at issues such as Adequate Public Facility Ordinances, Environmental Sight Design, Workforce Development and Forest Conservation. Of enormous impact this year is Marty's immeasurable work with NAHB as National Area 3 Chairman on their Executive Committee, which has him front and center as our State Representative. And if that isn't enough, he is also a member of both NAHB's Housing Finance and the Budget & Finance Committees. Within the community, Marty took his vast knowledge of the industry to the airwaves in February as the featured speaker on Your Frederick Real Estate Update podcast. He also continued his long-time involvement with the Rockville Rotary Club, working to better the community in which he was raised. On a side note but perhaps most importantly, this year Marty had to face a personal challenge as his oldest son, Joey, underwent his 5th - and most invasive - heart surgery in April to treat a condition he has had since birth. Fortunately, Joey is now thriving and will soon be starting a professional internship. Marty's decades of industry experience have been invaluable to the MBIA and to the membership and his commitment to the association as an active and involved member, make him a true example of what the Greenebaum Award was created to represent. Christopher Rachuba Honored with MBIA's Lifetime Achievement Award Chris Rachuba, co-owner of Rachuba Real Estate Advisors, was chosen to receive the 2018 Milton E. Kettler Lifetime Achievement Award, presented in recognition of his many years of unselfish participation, meaningful contributions and service to the building industry and to the community in which he lives and works. Chris is currently a Life Director of MBIA, but he has held numerous leadership positions throughout the years, including President of the Home Builders Association of Maryland (HBAM) in 2007, President of the Home Builders Care Foundation (HBCF) for 2016-17 and Past President of HBAM's charity arm, the Building Industries Foundation. He also serves on the Governor's Workforce Development Board Task Force. Those leadership skills were called upon when talks about a merger between HBAM and MNCBIA began and the hunt for a home for the new organization started. Chris jumped right in. He was instrumental in every phase of the construction of the Maryland Center for Housing, MBIA's Fulton, MD, headquarters. Chris' community involvement includes work with Boys Hope/Girls Hope (BHGH) of Baltimore, the National Kidney Foundation, Notre Dame Preparatory School, The RAACE Foundation and the Community Colleges of Baltimore County. He is also involved with Rebuilding Together and serves on the Board of Zaching Against Cancer. Chris can always be counted on to step up and volunteer. He has served as Builder Captain for HBCF on numerous charity construction projects large and small. One of his biggest acts of kindness was taking on the challenging task of Builder Captain for the 2010 Extreme Home Makeover Build alongside BHGH. Chris' demonstrated commitment to the association, his decades of service and his outstanding contributions are commendable and go above and beyond "normal" volunteer activity. Chris Rachuba clearly meets and exceeds the criteria for the Milton E. Kettler Award. Chapter Member of the Year Awards These awards were created to recognize builder and associate members who have distinguished themselves through their contributions, participation and service in the MBIA and within the home building industry throughout the past year. Anne Arundel County Builder: Ron Synder, Atapco Properties Associate: David Plott, Linowes & Blocher Baltimore City Builder: Doug Schmidt, Workshop Development Associate: Jon Laria, Ballard Sphar Baltimore County Builder: Ron Schaftel, The Southern Land Co. Southern Maryland Builder: Shawn Day Stanley Martin Companies Inc. Charles County Builder: Rick Barnas, Lennar Associate: David Cooksey, Soltesz Eastern Shore Builder/Remodeler: William (Bill) Haase, Handy Hays Howard County Builder: John Startt, JST Builders Associate: Jeremy Rutter, Rutter Project Management Montgomery County Builder: Bob Spalding, Miller & Smith Associate: Bill Kominers, Lerch, Early & Brewer, Chtd. Prince George’s County Builder: Carly Schrader, Stanley Martin Companies Inc. Associate: Ed Gibbs, Gibbs & Haller Upper Chesapeake Builder: Bob Ward, Bob Ward Homes Associate: Brady Atkinson, 84 Lumber The Maryland Building Industry Association is a not-for-profit trade organization representing the interests of over 1,200 member firms and more than 100,000 employees, including home builders, remodelers, developers and affiliate professional and service providers in the Maryland Counties of Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's and St. Mary's as well as Baltimore City, the Eastern Shore and Washington, DC. Online at www.marylandbuilders.org. ###